Pelham City Council President Rick Hayes expects to narrow the list of 21 candidates received for the inaugural municipal school board this week.

PELHAM, Alabama - The Pelham City Council is expecting to
narrow down the list of 21 candidates seeking to serve on the inaugural
municipal school board this week to schedule interviews for a public meeting
Oct. 29.

City Council President Rick Hayes on Monday night said he
is anticipating a list consisting of about half the total candidates who will then be called for
interviews at the meeting starting at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

"Individually, we've talked about how many. We're trying
to nail that down," Hayes said about the final list. "We're trying the best we
can to give everyone the opportunity to speak. ... Everybody has been giving
their feedback on that."

Hayes said the meeting with the interviews could run four
hours. "The intent is over the next day or two we will reach out to all of the
applicants. We haven't nailed down the exact number. At this point we are still
working through the list," he said.

The appointment of the initial batch of members to serve
on the new municipal school board marks the next major step in the city's
development of a school system separate from the Shelby County Board of
Education.

The board will consist of five members, initially with
one member's term ending in June 2014, followed by another every year after
through 2018. The City Council will appoint the board members and the seats
would have five-year terms thereafter.

After several months of public hearings and lively
discussions, City Council members unanimously approved
the formation of the municipal school board at their Sept. 9 meeting. The
landmark vote showed the council's desire to establish a school system under
city control.